Harvester for vine crops



June 14, 1960 E. J. SCHAAF ETAL 2,940,240

HARVESIER FOR VINE CROPS Original Filed March 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEY EDWARD J. SCHAAF EDWIN F. GREEDY PHILIP s. DEVIRIABLJR. av M /Wf June 14, 1960 E. J. SCHAAF ETAL 2,940,240

HARVESTER FOR VINE CROPS Original Filed March 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS EDWARD J. SCHAAF EDWIN F. GREEDY PHILIP S. DEVIRIAN, JR.

WgWW- ATTORNEY June 14, 1960 E. J. SCHAAF ETAL 2,940,240

HARVES'I'ER FOR VINE CROPS Original Filed March 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F'IE E| INVENTORS EDWARD J. SCHAAF EDWIN F. GREEDY BY M PHlLlP S. DEVIBIAN, JR.

United States Patent" HARVESTER FOR VINE CROPS Edward J. Schaaf and Edwin F. Greedy, Hoopeston, Ill., and Philip S. Devirian, J12, San Jose, Calif., assignors to Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application Mar. 15, 1950, Ser. No. 149,718,

now Patent No. 2,742,045, dated Apr. 17, 1956. Divided and this application Mar. 27, 1956, Ser. No. 574,152

Claims. (CI. 56-21) The present application is a division of our copending joint US. application Serial No. 149,718, filed March 15, 1950, now Patent No. 2,742,045, for Combined Harvesting and Threshing Machine.

The present invention pertains to a combined harvesting and threshing machine, and more particularly relates to a harvester adapted to reap vine crops.

One object of the present invention is to provide in a threshing machine an improved means for reaping or gathering vine crops.

Another object is to provide a machine for gathering a swath of vine crop from a field.

Another object is to provide a vine harvesting machine that will exert tension on the vines great enough to sever the vines from their earth bound roots.

Another object is to provide a vine harvesting machine capable of restricting the forward movement of vines adjoining the swath thereof removed by said machine.

Another object is to provide a harvesting machine which will sever and pick up predetermined portions of a mass of vines lying on the ground and pass the vines into a threshing machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pea harvesting machine embodying the present invention, showing the right hand side of the machine, portions thereof being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the left hand side of the machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 1, portions thereof being broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the forward portion of the machine, portions thereof being broken away and parts shown in section to reveal internal structure.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken along lines 5-5 of Fig. 4, portions thereof being broken away.

General description The drawings illustrate a specific embodiment of the invention which is particularly adapted to the harvesting of vine crops such as peas. By means of slight modifications which will be obvious to those familiar with the art, the invention can be employed for use on other crops such, for example, as beans and peanuts. Therefore the words vines and peas as used herein are intended to mean also such other crops as are capable of being harvested by a mechanism embodying the invention.

While the illustrated form of the invention is provided with support wheels it is obvious that the plants to be threshed could be gathered and brought to the machine which in such instance could be mounted in a cannery yard or other suitable location for stationary use.

The illustrated form of the harvesting machine comprises a two Wheeled body portion A adapted to be towed by a suitable powered vehicle such as an ordinary farm tractor,'not shown. The bitch to the tractor is offset 2,940,240 Patented June 14, 1960 laterally in a well known manner so that the tractor wheels run on ground cleared of vine growth to avoid damaging the vines. Harvesting means comprising a well known type of tined lifter reel B is mounted ahead of the forward end of the body portion to loosen and comb rearwardly the vines which may be matted on the ground. A vine pick-up device C, also of a well known type, is mounted on the forward end of the body portion A to hook into the mass of vines on the ground, and sever them from the ground. A vertical cutoff device D is mounted adjacent an end of the pick-up device, and is adapted to travel along the unharvested side of a swath of vines being harvested to sever the vines in the swath from the vines adjacent thereto. In some instances the vines cannot be effectively severed from their roots by pulling them loose therefrom and in such cases the vines are first mowed and windrowed in a usual manner, and then the vines are picked up by driving the present harvester along the windrows.

A vertical flight E (Fig. 4) of feed paddle rotors assists in pulling the vines and feeds them upwardly and then rearwardly beneath the lowermost portion of a first vertical flight F of paddle bladed threshing rotors. From here the vines are transported along a tortuous path through the machine where they are beaten, abraded and shaken to free the peas from their pods and to shake the hulled peas from the mass of vines.

The threshed out vines are then discharged onto a discharge conveyor G (Figs. 1 and 2) composed of a plurality of paddle bladed rotors, not shown, which, while conveying the vines rearwardly to a point where they are discharged back onto the field, shake out hulled peas or unopened, detached pods which may still remain in the vines.

Conveying and cleaning mechanism H is positioned to receive the peas and unopened pods which are threshed out of the vines and dropped thereon from the conveyor G. After subjecting them to air cleaning operations the peas and pods are discharged into an elevator I (Fig. 2) which in turn discharges them into a perforated, rotating drum K. Here the hulled peas are separated from the filled pods, the peas are discharged into a suitable receptacle, and the unopened pods are returned into the threshing mechanism for i e-processing.

Frame structure and engine The body A (Fig; 1) comprises a channel iron frame 10 and a box-like, thresher rotor housing 11 of a type common in the manufacture of agricultural machinery wherein structural frame members of angle or channel iron are bolted or welded together, and are covered with sheet metal panels attached to the structural members.

A conventional type of gasoline engine 12 is mounted in a sheet metal housing 13 (Figs. 1 and 2) and is supported on a motor mount bracket 14 extending forwardly from the front end of the body A. The engine is provided with a usual type of speed reducing device 15 to drive a pair of main drive chain 16 and 17 (Figs. 1 and 5 to be referred to later herein in connection with a description of the drive mechanism. Throughout the present description of the machine the terms right and left will be used to indicate the right and left sides of the machine as it travels forward, or from left to right in Fig. 1, except as otherwise specifically designated.

It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the portion of the boxlike housing 11 which houses the threshing rotors F is narrower than the housing for the feed mechanism, and is narrower than the width of the swath indicated at X in Fig. 5. This allows the body support wheels 20 to be mounted at the sides of the narrower threshing rotor housing so that the support wheels ride on ground from which the vines have been removed.

'Vin'e pick=up A pair of lifter reel support arms 13 and 19 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) are rigidly secured to each other by a torque mechanism bar 21 (Fig. 3) which is welded at -its-ends to the-arms:

' position for the harvesting of peas, although in harvesting some crops it is desirable to shorten the arms somewhat, by means of the adjustment, to position the lifter reel close to the pick-up device. A pair of counter-balancing coil springs 25 (Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5) are connected between the rear ends of the arms 18 and 19, which beyond the pivot shaft 22, and the extend rearwardly frame 1% I The lifter reel B is of a conventional type with a power driven spider at one end thereof, a freely rotating, eccentrically mounted spider 28 at the other end thereof a and connected by levers 29 to a plurality of cross rods 30 to each of which a plurality of the tine fingers 31 are secured; By this arrangement the' time 'fingers 31 are maintained in upright position whilethe reel B is rotated in the. direction of the arrow shown inFig. 4.

- The pick-up device C comprises a cylindrical body portionordrum 32 (Fig. 5), with'a drive'sprocket 33 (Fig. 4) secured to an end thereof. Picking or lifting fingers 34am mountedto project radiallythrough rows of slotted openings in the drum 32. 'The fingersfi i are mounted.

on 'a usual eccentric actuating mechanism, not shown, mounted internally of the drum. By means of this well known eccentric actuating mechanism the picking fingers are alternately projected radially'outwardly on the lower and forward sides of the rotating drum and then are retracted-into thedrum on theupperand rearward sides of the drum; The forwardly and downwardly projecting fingers enter into and engage the mass of vines loosened by'the lifter reel B and carry the vines'up overthe top ofthe pick up device Qtending topull them loose from the ground. As the fingers 34 are retracted inwardly to lie flush with the upper, rearward peripheral surface of the drum, they release the vines for feeding into the machine. Thistype of pick-up device is well known to those farniliar with the art and it will be unnecessary to describe it in further detail. However, the feeding means of the present mechanism which co-operate with the piclcup device are important to its successful operation as will be pointed out later herein. i V

The pick-up device C is journaledbetween the forward ends'cf a pair of housings 35 and 36 (Fig. 3) which are pivotally mounted at theirrearward ends "on a jack shaft 38 (Fig. 4) j'ournaled transversely of the main frame 10.

'A major portion of the weight of the pick-up device assembly is counterbalanced by a of coil springs 39 and 49 (Figs. 1, Zand 5) which extend from the housings 35 and 36, respectively, to a' housing '41 enclosing the feed rotors E. 'A ground engaging wheel 42 (Fig. 5) is journaled on a stub axle 43' (Fig.2) secured in adjusted position to the outer side'of the left hand housing 35 near its forward end to suppont the unbalanced of thef'housing. A second ground engaging wheel 44- (Figs. '1 andS) isjournaledon a stub "axle '45 (Fig- '1) on the forwardend of a wheel support or lever arm 46 which is clamped in adjusted position to a mounting block 47 pivotally mounted on the outer side of the right hand, pivoted; pick-up device, :suppor'thousing 36 near its rear end. Y

A yoke 48 (Fig. l) is mounted vertically adjusted positionon the outer-side of then'ght hand, pick-up device housing 3d,:the upper and lower ends of the yoke being "bent to extend outwardly, to engage and limit the weight upper surface travels rearwardly.

. '4 upward and downward pivotal movement of thepivoted wheel supporting arm 46 relatively to thehousing 36. The upper, outwardly extending end portion of the yoke 48 normally rests on the arm 46 to support the unbalanced weight of the right hand-end of the pick-up device and to carry it over any obstacles which the wheel may roll over. However, if the wheel p'ass es across a depression in the ground the yoke 43 permits the lever arm 46 to swing downward relative tothe housing 36 so that thev wheel will follow the depression, continuing to press down on the vines beneath it.

Thevinecutofi device D is in the nature of a short mowing machine sickle of an ordinary type, disposed vertically, andmoun-ted in theforward end of the right hand support housing 36 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4). A usual serrated sickle knife 4? (Fig. l) of the cutoff device D is adapted to be reciprocated'in a usual manner by a bell crank lever 58, which is oscillated by means of a link 51 connected eccentrically to a rotating disk 52. r The forward ends of the pick-up device support nous: ings 35 and Share beveled inwardly to guide the marginal portion of the swath of vines severed by the cutofl? device D inwardly onto the drum of the pickup device C, which (Figs. 3 and 5) is somewhat shorter than the width of the swath, indicated at'X in Fig. 5. The cutoif device makes a vertical cut through the mass of tangled vines :thereby'preventing an excess amount of vines being drawn onto the pick-up device'from the unharvested side of the machine. The machine of the present inventiofi is intended to move about a field of peas being harvested, with the left hand side of the pick-up device following along the marginal edge of the field or of a previously harvested swath. 1. Therefore no cutoff mechanism is 're- Feed mechanism Rearwardly of the pick-up device C a transfer roller 53 (Pig. 5) is mounted and driven to rotate so that its The mass of vines from the pick-up device C passes -rearwardly over the transfer roller 53 and thence (Figs. 4 and 5) onto the lower, forwardly curved apron 5'4 of a smooth, vertical,

, sheet metal, feed plate 55, which forms the rearwall of the feed housing 41 for the vertical flight E of paddle bladed feed rotors.

Each of the paddle bladed feed rotors in the flight E thereof, like all ofthe other paddle bladed rotors in the machine, comprises a sheet metal body portion 56 (Figs. 4 and 5) of hollow,generaliy cruciform sectional shape, with a forged metal end plug 57 secured co-axially in each end there'of.

A short supporting shaft portion 58 (Fig. 4) is formed concentrically with each of the plug portions 57-. Where required, this shaft portion extends axially beyond the journal, not shown, in which it is mounted to receive the various rotor drive sprockets. The feed rotors of the flight E are driven to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4.

It will be noted in Figs. 3 and 5 that the housing 41 which encloses the flightE of feed rotors is of somewhat lesser width than the length of the pick-up device C, which in turn, is of lesser length than the width X of theiswath severed. from the mass of vines in the The spacing betweenadjacent rotors is such that their blades havea minimum clearance from each other of not less than the diameter of the peas to be threshed.

The maximum separation between blades of adjacent rotors is that which willprevent the vines from being carried along from one rotor to the next.

A hopper L is mounted-beneath pod separating drum K to catch the peas passing outwardly through the perforations in the drum K. ,A pair of discharge control slides 61 are provided to control the flow of peas from the hopper L into usual field boxes, shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, which may be placed on a platform 62 provided therefor over the wheel 20. A folding platform 63 is hingedly mounted on the side of the machine adjacent the hopper L to provide working space for an operator. The platform is adapted to be swung upwardly alongside the platform 62 to reduce the width of the machine when transporting it along a road or highway.

Drive mechanism The drive mechanism of the illustrated machine comprises principally a series of sprockets, chains, pulleys and belts. From double sprockets 64 secured to a takeoff shaft 65 (Figs. 1, 3, 4 and of the speed-reducer 15, driven by the engine 12, the two main drive chains 16 and 17 are passed'around sprockets 66 and 67, respectively.

The sprocket 67 is mounted on the right hand end of a jack shaft 68 which extends through the housing 11 of the machine and has a sprocket 69 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) on its other or left hand end. A chain 79 passes around the sprocket 69 and also around a sprocket 71 on the left hand end of the lowermost threshing paddle rotor 72 in the first flight 73 of threshing rotors F. The shaft of the lowermost threshing rotor of each flight thereof has a double sprocket on its left hand end, whereby, by means of a plurality of short drive chains 74 (Fig. 4) the threshing rotors are driven.

The upper main drive chain 16 from the speed reducer 15 (Figs. 1 and 4) passes around the sprocket 66 on the right hand end of the shaft of a feed transfer paddle rotor 75. A series 76 of double sprockets and short chains (Fig. l) are provided, also on the right hand side of the machine to drive the feed rotors of the flight E in the same manner as described previously herein for the vertical flights of threshing paddle rotors.

A sprocket 77 (Fig. 4) is mounted on the left hand end of the shaft of the uppermost feed paddle rotor, and a chain 78 passes around the sprocket 77 and around one portion of a double sprocket 79, joumaled on the pivotal support shaft 22 for the lifter reel arms 18 and 19, (Fig. 5). A chain 80 passes around a second portion of the double sprocket 79 (Figs. ;1 and 4) and also around a sprocket 81 mounted to drive the lifter reel B. In order to drive the pick-up device and the cutofl device a sprocket 82 (Fig. 4) is secured to the shaft of the lowermost feed rotor, and a chain 83 passes around this sprocket, around an idler sprocket 84, around a double sprocket85 secured to the jack shaft 38, and around a sprocket 86, secured to the shaft of the small transfer roller 53 just rearwardly of the upper side of the toothed pick-up device C. A chain 87 for driving the pick-up device passes around the sprocket 85 on the jack shaft 38 and around the sprocket 33 of the pick-up device 0.,

For elevatingthe lifter reel B, the pick-up device C, and their associated parts to an inoperative position, a cable 88 (Fig. 4) is connected to the rearwardly extending end of the lifter reel support arm 19. The cable 88 passes beneath a pulley 89 mounted on the thresher frame and thence forwardly, where it is connected to suitable actuating means, not shown, for operation by the tractor operator.

Chains 90 and 91 are connected between the spring counterbalanced, lifter reel, support arms 18 and 19 and the similarly counterbalanced, pivoted, end housings 35 and 36 of the pick-up device C, so that when the lifter reel B is swung upwardly to inoperative position by the tractor operator, the pick-up device C also will be swung upwardly therewith. The chains are of sufiicient length so that when the lifter reel B is lowered to its operating position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the chains will hang slack and will not interfere with the normal pivotal movement of the pick-up device housings and 36 as' their support wheels 42 and 44 follow irregularities in' the terrain over which they pass.

Operation Assuming that the machine is at one side of a field of peas wherein the pea vines are more or less matted together on the ground in the usual manner of such fields, the machine is preferably headed so that an initial swath will be cut with the left hand side of the machine following along an edge of the peas in the field so that the vertical cutter D will make a cut in the vines thereby forming a swath of the desired width indicated at X in Fig. 5. Thereafter the machine preferably is operated so that the cutter D will remain on the unharvested side of successive swaths to be cut.

Withthe engine 12 operating and connected by usual clutch means, not shown, to drive the main drive chains 16 and 17, the various mechanisms are driven as described previously herein. The tractor operator lowers the lifter reel B to a desired adjusted position, by slackening off the cable 88 to a desired degree. With the lifter reel thus lowered, the chains 90 and 91 are of suflicient length to lower the pick-up device to supported position on its ground engaging wheels 42 and 44.

The times of the lifter reel B enter into the mass of vines in the usual manner for such reels, and, by lifting the vines slightly and in effect combing them rearwardly, they position the vines so that the eccentrically supported fingers 34 of the pick-up device C, in their projected position on the forward side of the drum 32, can enter into the mass and engage the vines and carry them upwardly and rearwardly over the top of the drum. The

springs 39 and 40 allow a portion of the weight of the pick-up device assembly to remain unbalanced and this unbalanced weight is supported by the pick-up device support wheels 42 and 44.

When operating over smooth terrain the pivoted arm, 46 upon which the right hand, pickup device, support wheel 44 is mounted abuts against the out-turned upper end of the yoke 48 to support the pick-up device with the lower end of the sickle D just above ground level and to elevate it when the wheel passes over a bump on the ground. Should the wheel 44 or vine holding means pass over a hole or depression in the ground however, the lever arm 46 allows the wheel to swing downward and remain in pressing contact with the vines beneath it. This is important with some vines which are difiieult to out, since the wheel pressure tends to grip the vines on the field side and to draw any unsevered vines which might start to bunch up ahead of the sickle into the serrations between the sickle teeth for severing.

The vertical cutter D severs the vines along the right hand side of the swath being harvested, and the beveled forward sides of the pivoted, pick-up device, end housings 35 and 36 guide the sides of the vine mass laterally inwardly onto the pickup device. As the vines are carried up over the top of the pick-up drum 32 (Figs. 4 and 5) the transfer roller 53 prevents the vines from following down the rear side of the pick-up drum and directs them rearwardly onto the forwardly curved apron 54 at the lower end of the feed housing 41. Here the vines are seized between the plate 55 and the lowermost feed rotor of the flight E thereof. The tension exerted on the vines by the action of the feed rotors, plus the action of the drum fingers 34, pulls the vines loose from the ground.

As the fingers 34 pass rearwardly beyond the top of the drum, they are retracted into their Slots to lie flush with the rearward upper side of the drum, thereby releasing the vines. Occasionally tough and firmly rooted vines will successfully resist the combined pulling action of the pick-up device and feed rotors, but the leaves and pods are stripped from such vines and are carried up into the threshing mechanism with the other vines.

' hed tsq as ofv s ca fe uPnar wbdws ar'sides, of "the teedrotor 5 i v i lgl P1511955. a

The smoothness ahd rigidity of, the plate: 5 5 r eduees to a minimum any threshing actio nthefeed paddles 'ir'iight' have on the vines, so that the'vi'nes are carried up with a loss of peas and pods. The vines are. subpass, and therefore', such pods and peas; asfma'y be. freed this feeding pass are mostlycarried. up,

While'wehave described a preferred embodiment oi the present invention it will be. understood-however ya iou s j'changes and modifications mayf-he 'rnadei'in the;

details thereof withoutde farting'from'thesp'iritfafid of v the appended claims' H 1 Having thus'describ edthe invention what we, sad

desire to pr otect by LettersPate' nt is:

' 1.' In a, vine harvesting machine,v a body adapted to be moved about a field of unharvested vine crops, :5. nickup device mounted'onl'said body and disposed \{e'rs'ely of theipath offtravel of said body for. engaginga rnas s o f vines, a cutter carried by said body and'disp osed' laterally of said pick-updevice for severing'a strifi of vines engaged by said pickup device, and vine r'holding" means mounted on said body and disposed laterally 'of. said butter and in engagement with the ground ito'press the vines against the ground for applying. a holding pressure on the vines being severed and to restrain thein'ovement of vines that are not engageable' by said pickup device, said pick-up device, cutter and vineholding means, being in substantial alignment with one another transversely of the machine body. a V

2. In a vine harvesting machine, a body adapted to be moved about a field of 'unharvested vine crops, "a pick-up device mounted on "said body and disposedtransversely of the path of travel of said body for engaging one end of a mass of vines, vine holding means mounted on said body and disposedrlaterally. of said pick-up device in position to bear against the ground and press theother end of the mass of vines against the groundfoi applying a holding pressure on said other] end of thefmass of vines, and a substantially upright outtercarriedby said body intermediate'said pick-up device and said vine hpldiiig, means for severing a strip of" vines engageable' by said pick-up device from the vines held by said'vine holding means, said pick-up device, cutter and vine holding means being in substantially alignment with one another transversely of the machine body. i Y

1ectdfto' very little vibration during thisbpwardfeeding. r

&

n ine i' est n fl a d a p ed t be moved aboiit a field'of un HP ev e. moun e i' n sai I ls'tscly f he. Pa h jtravel of s id, bo y. or. en ag i a mass'of vines, a substantially upright vine 'cuttefcarried by saidibody and disposedllater'ally an fQ 'w lrdlyfofi saidpi'clg-up device for'seve ring'l'a sltrip'bf viiiesie rigageP able by said pick-up device, ground-eng aging vine. holdi ing means disposed laterally and, rearward1y of saidcut ter" and in substantial alignment with, said, pickup device. to pre's's the vinesagainst' the ground to. apply aholding pressure on the vines being severed and to restrairiftliel movement of the vines that, ate not,engageable'bysaid' pickup device,uand means mounting said vine holding means on'said body foi vertical 'nio've'ment relative'to said-body. forrenabling said vine holding'm'eans 'tof ollow. the contour of the field.

a '4; In a vine harvesting machine, a body adapted to be moved about afield o ffunharvstedrvine crops, a pick-up device mounted onsaid body and disposed' transversely of the path of travel of said body forengaging amass of 7 said pick-up: device.

vines, a substantially uprightvine cutter carried by said body and disposed laterallyand-forwardlyof said pick-up device for severing a strip of vines engageable by said pick-up device, and a grofind-engaging vine holding wheel rot'atably mounted on saidbody and disposed laterally and- -rearwardlydf said cutter and in substantial alignment with said pick-up device to "press the" vinesagains't the ground and apply a holding pressure on the' vinesbeing severed and to restrain the movement of vines that are not engageable by said pick-up device.

5. In a vine harvesting machine, a body adapted to be moved about a field of unharvested vine crops, a pair of spaced transversely aligned support members mounted on said body, a pickup device mounted between said s p: port members and disposed' transverselyTot the path 0t travel of said body forf'engaging a mass of vines, a cut-'1 ter carried by one of said support members and disposed laterally of said pick-up device for s evering a strip of vines engaged by said pick-up device, each of said support members being formed 'wit h a beveled surface for guiding vines severed by said cutter toward said pick-up device,"and ground-engaging vine holding means mounted on said one support member and disposed laterally of-said. cutter to pressthe vines against the ground" and apply a holdingpressure on the vines being severedand to re strain the movement of vines that are not enga'geable by 7 References Cited in the file of patent ED S ATE 'PATEN 

